Death Under The Fireworks: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (A Murder In Milburn, The Novellas Book 2) by Nancy McGovern

Author:Nancy McGovern [McGovern, Nancy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: McGovern Books
Published: 2016-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

*****

Chapter 5

Maria lay on the sofa with her eyes closed, while Johann massaged her legs in an attempt to help her relax. When Nora and Katya entered, they both sat up.

“It’s been a horrible day,” Johann said with a sigh. “I could use some iced tea. Or maybe even something stronger. Lila’s away being interviewed. She always makes the best iced tea. Oh look at me, babbling about stupid things while my father… my father...”

His lower lip began trembling.

“Come on,” Katya said gently, raising him up. “You do need a drink, Johann. I’ll help you out.”

“I can’t bear that he’s gone,” Johann said with a sob. “I don’t know what’s harder, the fact that he’s gone.. Or… or the fact that part of me feels relieved!”

“Johann!” Maria said sharply. “Shut your mouth. There’s other people in this house who don’t know you as well as I do. They might believe you!”

“But I mean it, Mother,” Johann said. “I’m glad he’s gone, Part of me is happy I’ll never have to deal with him again!”

“Katya, take him away,” Maria said, waving her hands. “Nora, come sit by me.”

Katya led Johann away, squeezing his hand affectionately.

Nora sat next to Maria, who said coldly, “I suppose to you, this is just dramatic and maybe even fun?”

“A death is never any fun,” Nora said quietly. “Especially if it’s a murder.”

“Murder! Oh! I hate that word!” Maria said. “People throw it about, never knowing the kind of everlasting doubt it can create. My uncle Joseph was poisoned when I was 13, you know. This was when I still lived in Italy, in my village. It was a lovely place, and once we village-folk all made up our minds about something, well, we’d never be persuaded that we were wrong.

“We all thought it was his wife. For years, she was ostracized. We smiled at her and were polite, but the children, they would happily say what their parents said behind closed doors. They’d throw rocks at her windows, and sing nonsense-poems calling her names. The rest of us, we gossiped behind her back. And one day, she killed herself! She decided she’d rather face punishment in heaven than hell on earth.”

Maria took a deep breath.

“We all took this as proof of her guilt at first. Surely, we said, it was a guilty heart that drove her to kill herself. Not us. Not our gossiping and our lies. Well, soon after, the pastor went in to clean their house, and do you know what he found? A letter hidden in a dusty diary that had not been seen for years. A suicide letter. Turns out, my uncle Joseph had killed himself because he was facing financial ruins.”

Nora nodded.

“You must all have felt horrible.”

“I do penance for my sins even today,” Maria said. “I suppose that’s why I stuck with Reynold, no matter what. I knew he needed me. I knew his was a soul that only I could save.”

“Reynold was a good husband to you, I hope,” Nora said.

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